Champions League 2026-27 kicks off with Imps, Sain...

Champions League 2026-27 kicks off with Imps, Saints and Vikings in action5hLee WingateJustice with an asterisk: Two things can be true about Balogun's World Cup reprieve1hSam BordenNobody benefits from FIFA letting Balogun off the hook -- not even the USMNT14hMark OgdenWorld Cup Daily live: Harry Kane loses voice in hilarious interview, USMNT prepares for Belgium3hESPNOpposition scouting: Former USMNT boss Bruce Arena breaks down Belgium5hJeff CarlisleA key USMNT World Cup perk: An embedded barber who keeps players' hair looking fresh1dSam BordenHaaland brings the thunder, strikes down Brazil as Norway reach World Cup quarters13hGabriele Marcotti and Mark OgdenTransfer rumors, news: Arsenal eye Wan-Bissaka as White replacement1hESPNMen's transfer grades: Tottenham get C- for $125m Tonali deal2hSam TigheChampions League 2026-27 kicks off with Imps, Saints and Vikings in action5hLee WingatePride, joy and anxiety: What watching a family member play at a World Cup means1dRob DawsonWorld Cup 2026 Power Rankings before round of 16: Who's No. 1?2dJames TylerGrades for every team eliminated from the World Cup: Cape Verde get an A23hRyan O'HanlonFrance pass toughest World Cup test yet in beating feisty Paraguay2dGabriele Marcotti, +2 MoreWorld Cup VAR review: Did France deserve deciding penalty or was it really a dive?

2dAndy DaviesOdds to win the World Cup: France, Morocco advance to the next round20hDoug GreenbergplayMarcotti disappointed by Arsenal's 'weak' UCL approach (1:54)Lee WingateMultiple AuthorsJul 6, 2026, 03:16 AM ETEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsRoberto Lopes, who was famously recruited to play for Cape Verde via a DM on LinkedIn, has been one of the breakout stars at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.But while 'Pico' has been helping to put the African islanders on the map by pushing Lionel Messi and world champions Argentina all the way to extra time in the round of 32, his club side Shamrock Rovers are already gearing up for the new UEFA Champions League campaign.The first qualifying round for Europe's top club competition begins on Tuesday -- a mere 38 days after Paris Saint-Germain's victory over Arsenal in last season's final, and long before the big names enter the fray in 2026-27.

A number of less-heralded clubs from all corners of the continent will be in action, all with their own fascinating backstories. So who are they? From the Imps to the Saints to the Vikings, let's meet some.

- Revenge for 'Disgrace of Gijón': World Cup's biggest grudge match - Meet the soccer team that plays all of its games tomorrow - Welcome to 'Tehrangeles': Watching Iran with L.A.'s Iranian communityAtert BissenAfter languishing in Luxembourg's third division in 2023, the club rose rapidly with back-to-back promotions and then became national champions for the first time last season thanks to a slender win over title rivals Differdange on the final day.

In the process, they became only the second European club -- after Bulgarian giants Ludogorets -- to go from third tier to national champions in three seasons.Their rise can be largely attributed to footballer-turned-construction entrepreneur Carlos Teixeira, who built the stadium complex in Bissen and was later persuaded to take on the club presidency by the local mayor over a bottle of wine. Teixeira, who made the bold call of replacing his own brother Pedro as head coach last summer, has recruited shrewdly.

But arguably his biggest asset has been his ability to offer players jobs -- a major incentive in a semi-pro league like Luxembourg, where other work is often required to supplement income.Borac Banja LukaThe reigning national champions of Bosnia-Herzegovina hail from the Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity in the north of the country. Their success has made them a major source of pride for local supporters in a country that has long seemed on the brink of splitting along ethnic fault lines, where matches between sides representing Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs have often carried intense political weight and, at times, spilled into violence.

The Red & Blues have won the Bosnian Premier League twice in the last three seasons, but their greatest accomplishments have come on the continental stage. They became the first club from their country to reach the knockout phase of a European competition the season before last, beating Slovenia's Olimpija Ljubljana in the UEFA Conference League knockout-round playoff before succumbing to Austria's Rapid Vienna in the round of 16.CS Universitatea CraiovaThere are two clubs in Romania that claim to be the true historical successor of the original Universitatea Craiova, which became champions in 1991.

That year marked the beginning of a long divorce between the sports club and its football section that eventually resulted in the emergence of two rival teams: CS Universitatea Craiova and FC U Craiova 1948. Both now lay claim to the same history and have developed a fierce rivalry as a result.Last season could hardly have been more d